POSTCARD DRAWING 29 / 10 /2018

Abstract Cityscape: Ink on watercolour postcard.

UNTITLED WORK IN PROGRESS 28 / 11 / 2018 ( A )

EXPERIMENTING WITH TEXTURES

My painted work has always had a tactile quality to it, so much so that I regard it as a 'subtext' to the main composition. In other words, in each painting there are two pieces of art to read: The coloured shapes as seen from directly in front, and then the different gradients and grooves that you read from the side, or in a strong, angled source of light.

In the current series, I'm going to experiment with not only the depth, but the surface textures, like brickwork or peeling paint.

Below: Untitled acrylic-on-canvas ( extreme closeup ), with ruler to show scale. Full size: 80cm x 80cm.

UNTITLED WORK IN PROGRESS 28 / 11 / 2018 ( B )

This is actually a recycled canvas, that friends from the kids charity across the corridor gave me. It originally had graffiti spray paint on, which I then covered over with System 3 acrylic white. This has been on the back-burner because for some reason, I could barely get the masking tape to stick to it, no matter how much paint I piled onto it. Whether that was because the spray paint affected it, I have no idea. So it's been a bit of a battle with this one, and will remain the 'back-up' composition while the new series of paintings gets underway. 

Aside from that, it appears to be trying to evolve into something akin to my 'Mood Flag' paintings that I was doing years ago, and it'll be interesting to see if this progresses that style away from the original idea.

INKTOBERFEST I

Beginning a series of smaller, experimental artworks on watercolour postcards.

GLITCH YOU WERE HERE...

Alleviating Terminal Boredom

Despite having enormous fun photographing the abstract structures of a quiet terminal back in 2012 ( see the results here ), I'd forgotten how annoying Zurich Airport actually is. It's probably the most badly sign-posted airport I've ever experienced. The simple act of transferring from one departure lounge to another is reduced to an MC Escher-esque conundrum as you follow signs to your departure gate, only for them to completely disappear as you get near them, and reappear when you get further away.

This was because the Swiss seem incapable of following the principle of A-B-C, and instead hide B in a downstairs annex where you would normally expect to find X, Y or Z.

A foreshadowing of this breakdown of reality could be found before we even boarded the plane to Zurich. 

''a constant loop of superb glitching''

Firstly, upon arrival at Athens Airport, the occupants of the long queue at the Swiss check-in desk - myself included - were perturbed to find ourselves in the proximity of a piece of unattended luggage. I went to find an official - a lady at the Swissair desk ten yards away - who so clearly pretended to make an urgent phonecall that it was like witnessing someone in a provincial amateur dramatics group phoning in a bomb-scare. After that, it was as if all Swissair staff at Athens were phoning-in their performances. I tried to round up a total of three Athens Airport staff and nobody was interested. A security-looking guy just shrugged, and actually said, 'it's not my problem'. 

It got to the point where I could imagine a terrorist group - replete with Carlos The Jackal sunglasses, sexy loafers and blocks of semtex - entering the terminal, scouting the area, taking measurements, plotting the focus of the shockwave, going for coffee and croissants, then returning to have another discussion about the blast radius, and finally climbing into a truck labelled 'fertilizer bomb' that had been double-parked for three hours, blocking in a police car.

Eventually an official came along who looked at the luggage, made a comment into his walkie-talkie, and then proceeded to stand next to it for the next forty minutes, occasionally looking at his watch and raising the odd eyebrow. Perhaps he was glad to get out of the office and stretch his legs.

These pictures are of the advertising screen at the Swissair departure lounge in Athens. A constant loop of superb glitching, I stood mesmerized at first, until I had to make a public fool of myself by standing there for several minutes photographing the screen while everyone else was queuing to board. The joke's on them, really. You already have your seat number - why stand there for twenty minutes, slowly shuffling forward like a zombie, when you can be entertained at Swissair's expense by highlighting their malfunctioning corporate showreel?

They tried to get in one last laugh, though. Dying of thirst by the time we landed at Zurich, I went through my pockets and found enough remaining coins for two bottles of water. I approached the lady at the counter only to be told that she couldn't accept them because they were euros, and the Swiss currency is franks. 'Since when?!' I screamed, and was about to phone-in a bombscare of my own when she took pity on me, and accepted the euros, with the caveat that I was effectively paying above the labelled price for the drinks. I didn't care and was immediately charmed by Jeffrey's ( yes, that was her name ) generosity.

Please enjoy these beautifully disintegrated photos, courtesy of Swissair. No filters, these were all naturally glitched on location.

Photos: Alexi K, September 2018

HOMEWORK

I have a set of pencils, pens and rulers that I take on holiday in case the inspiration hits me. I draw on blank postcards, because they're easy to transport. Doing small art is extremely satisfying, because it's the only time that I can ever do a completed work of art in an afternoon.

Below: Experimental Drawings ( pen and ink on watercolour postcards ), made in Greece, Sept 2018

THOUSAND YARD STAIRWELL

While working to promote the Custard Factory Open Studios recently, I experimented on various background designs for the event's own blog wallpaper ( mobile phone viewers are advised to scroll all the way down to the bottom of any of my blogs and click 'view web version' to see the fully-realised designs ). I have a stock of photos from around the Custard Factory buildings, and used simple repetition ( no actual filters ) to create some eerily surreal images.

COME AND SEE US AT CUSTARD FACTORY OPEN STUDIOS 2018!

My Custard Factory colleagues and I at #422custardfactory are opening our studios to the public on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th August. This will be a great chance for the public to see what's behind the artist's door, and for budding artists or recent graduates to sample studio life. Drop in!

We have a new blog with all the info, click here for details.

'CONCRETE TRILOGY' DEBUTS IN 'BEST OF BIRMINGHAM' 2018

Timed to coincide with Birmingham's inaugural Design Festival 2018, and the opening of furniture manufacturer Allermuir's design show-house in the Jewellery Quarter, the 'Best of Birmingham' show was hosted by the Birmingham Architectural Association, and curated by Mark Kelly and the team at Gensler's Birmingham office.

Featuring myself plus other artists from the Midlands, the exhibition was held during an uncharacteristically hot June ( by UK standards ). 

CONCRETE TRILOGY in the bar of the rooftop event space, below.

The final part of the CONCRETE TRILOGY ( below ) , may still be a work-in-progress, and subject to alteration once the exhibition is taken down.

My artwork was featured in the beautiful rooftop bar in the Allermuir Building in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. Opening Night, below...

...and then two weeks later on presentation night, which happened to be on the evening of the Summer Solstice, the weather was still uncharacteristically Mediterranean...

Below: 9pm June 21st, Birmingham Skyline, taken from the roof of the Allermuir Building.

DATASTREAM ARABESQUE #01

Digital design inspired by Islamic art, currently featured in the Best of Birmingham, in the Jewellery Quarter.

NEW PAINTING

As Yet Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 50cm x 50cm, June 2018.

( Photo taken at midday. )

Same painting, different angle ( photo taken at sunset. )

NEW ART SOON

But in the meantime, if you want to keep up with the small, day-to-day stuff, follow me on Instagram at Alexi_K_Artist!